Man with Air Pistol Shot and Killed

A man was shot and killed by police on Saturday night after pointing what appeared to be a handgun at Brooklyn North narcotics officers following a drug operation.

According to police, the incident occurred at about 10:43pm at the intersection of Gates and Seneca Avenues in Ridgewood, Queens when two plain-clothes NYPD narcotics detectives had just arrested a suspect in a buy and bust operation when they were suddenly confronted by a 42-year-old Hispanic male who drew what appeared to be a black Glock 19 semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the two officers. The gun was actually a Walther CP99 compressed air pistol.

The two officers fired a total of six rounds, striking the man three times in the leg and torso. The man was taken to Wyckoff Hospital and pronounced dead.

According to the NYPD, witnesses near the scene said the man with the imitation pistol had emerged from what looked to be a black livery cab on Gates Avenue, which then drove off as the man exited.

Witnesses also reported that the detectives had their police shields displayed. Police said the incident was each detective’s first police-involved shooting.

Police added that the man who was arrested during the buy and bust operation, Nolan Rivera, was uninjured in the incident but was brought to the hospital for observation after swallowing what investigators believed was crack cocaine. Rivera reportedly told investigators that he recognized the man who was shot by the officers from the neighborhood, but did not know him personally.

Rivera was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence, and criminal possession of marijuana.

According to police, the deceased, whose identification is being withheld pending family notification, had 39 prior arrests, including four by the Miami-Dade, Florida Police Department.

The charges in New York City, mainly for drugs, included multiple arrests for robbery first degree, criminal possession of a weapon, and assault.

Drivers on Liberty Avenue will now be greeted with bright lights, as the Richmond Hill Economic Development Corporation held the light ceremony on Monday night. The holiday lights will be spread throughout the avenue just in time for the holiday season.